I Want to Live workshops (2 & 3)

As our current exhibition I Want to Live draws to a close, we’ve been continuing with our workshops exploring suicide, loss and mental health. Run by Daniel Regan and co-facilitated by psychotherapist Lizz Lewis, the workshops provide a safe and supported place for people to explore their difficulties and loss through creative activities.

In week 2 we experimented with photo weaving as a technique. By cutting up and combining photographs and collage materials the group created abstract imagery exploring the relationship to themselves and a theme of masks and identity. We worked with themes of layering by combining materials to represent the many sides of ourselves and those that we have lost.

In week 3 we experimented with a range of instant cameras, using both vintage Polaroid cameras and new Fuji Instax cameras. In the third session we explored gratitude — things that we were grateful for. Some people had excellent responses to the theme and renamed their items as ‘joys’. It can be really difficult to find gratitude in the face of adversity, but even if people found the session difficult, there was a sense of being grateful of having a safe space to share our stories together.